Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1887-03-19
SPANISH LEGENDS
Current Among the Old Mines of
Plateros.

Inc mining camp OF flaterOS IS STU
ated in the district of Fresnillo, in the
State OF Zacatecas, about a league dis-
tant from the town of Fresnillo. It,
discovery, as related in tradition was
asfollows: Some siiversmiths (plateros)
were journeying toward Durango,
carrying in chest an image of Christ
upon the cross, when they were over
taken by heavy rain, and were obliged
to pass the night upon one of the small
hills near Fresnillo. The storm ceased,
and the men, after disposlng their
sacred burden safely in the midst of
their baggage, built huge campfire,
and, seated in circle around it. supped
upon their thick cakes of corn-hour
and sH .,sSssstrips of jerked beef Itss
to be E?Ated -s.,-lt-,..iog &rieEasf!li;
they would give free play to their
tongues. In good truth, they dis
coursed of storms and tempests, of
swollen rivers. of highway robbers, and
all the dangers that menace those who
travel. Then the talk turned upon
themes of arithmetic and finance, and
very naturally 1t resulted that the good
fellows took stock of their exchequer.
which proved to contain a joint capital
of barely twenty dollars.
"lf only the Lord would bestow upon
us money one of them exclaimed, in
a tone of melancholy.
Nothing is impossible to Him." re-
piled another.
~ know that we'll ensugh; still. l
don't sec how we are to become rich.'
'Oh. thou art doubling Thomas.
Every thing comes easy to God" ,"
But it must be asked for.'
"Then let Us ask now
The silverSmths accordingly kneeled
before the chest that contained the holy
image, and ferventlv recited creed.
Then. enwrapping themselves in their
sarapeS. they laid themselves down be-
side the fire. and doubtless slept. The
next morning the wind had swept away
the ashes where their campfire had
blaZed. and there, glstening in the
first rays of the rising sun, was bright
and shining inyot of silver that the fire
had smelted from the rock. The silver
smiths, it may readi,v be believed.
went no further with their image, but
began straightway to work the mines,
where they shortly erected chapel TO
Our Lady of the Silversmiths, whence
the mines are named.
do not hold myself responsible for
the truth of this narrative. l can only
vouch for the fact that the mines and
the chapel are in existence to-day.
One afternoon a friend invited me to
visit that same mine. and we set out &C
corlingiy. Nothing could be sadder or
lonelier than the situation; n dry gulch,
with few gray houses of adobe scat
tered at the foot of the low hills, and
horizon line of brown hills, bare of
verdure-such is Plateros. 1t is, how
ever, very rich, the leads of dense sui
pilates cropping out on the surface.
AS my knowledge of mining is of the
slightest, l suggested to my compaa.
ion that we should visit the church,
whose architecture is fine, and its di-
mensions all too ample for the 4.w #
the faithful in the little town.
Before we go into the church," re-
marked my companion, IL wish to re-
late to you tradition"
You have the word" I answered,
"and that with all my heart. AS the
botanists go nosing about in search of
unknown plants, and the mineralogists
after veins of ore. SO ! shall get .us Of
hearing mass by listening To arsIi-
ton"
"Once upon time. then." my friend
began, "a poor man came up the road
driving a small, lean donxsS This